Week 13: Paper Pieced Union Jack Mug Rug

I was able to finish the Lazy Days Skirt in time for me to get back on track with my sewing, but I'm still not caught up with my blogging.  Ah, well.  As these two gentlemen (not) of Verona would say:

Shakespeare in Love from Miramax/Universal

Biscuit Quilt, Day 9

When you eat a box of chocolates, are you the type of person that throws the paper wrappers right away, or do you just leave them there and move on to the next chocolate?  I don't like all that trash lying around, so I throw it out right away.

Breakfast of Champions, er, Chocolates.

The Crinkle Quilt, Day 10

This weekend was chock full of activity.  Lots of family and friends to visit, and little Darcy even went on a swing for the first time!  I felt like such a slacker because I didn't get much sewing done, but then The Husband reminded me that I wasn't slacking off, I just was doing more important things.

Pretty Patches Placemats and Napkins, Day 10

The day you (and I) thought would never come has finally arrived.  The Pretty Patches Placemats and Napkins project is done!  I did think that I was going to finish it yesterday, but as I was finishing up the binding on the Green and Yellow placemats, I noticed a problem, and I knew I'd have to redo the binding.

Pretty Patches Placemats and Napkins, Day 9

This is the first Day 9 I've had since starting this 52-week endeavor.  It's kinda got me down, and I want to throw in the towel and start the next project, but I gotta press on.  I can't let these placemats get the best of me!

Week 9: The Crinkle Quilt

Even though I've not quite finished the Pretty Patches Placemats, I'm going to begin the next project.  I'm still in stash-busting mode, and I want to also use some of the batting that's been taking up some room, but I also want to work on a quick project.  I think I've found a project that'll cover all those things.  For Week 9 I will be making The Crinkle Quilt designed by Palak of Make It Handmade.  This pattern is on the Make It Handmade website and also posted at Moda Bake Shop.

The Crinkle Quilt from Palak of Make It Handmade
Image and design © Make It Handmade

Chenille Hot Pad, Day 7

I decided that I wanted to add a feature to the hot pads that wasn't part of the original pattern.  The hot pads didn't have a way to hang them, so I added a loop to each one.  The loops didn't need to be very wide, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try out another tool that's been collecting dust - the bias tape maker!  A bias tape maker is an awesome little tool that folds the edges of your fabric strips to the center of the strip.  It saves a lot of time and aggravation, and it also saves your pretty little fingers from being burned by your iron.

Chenille Hot Pad, Day 6

Wow, this week just flew by!  I've been working on the hot pads daily, but haven't been able to update the blog about it, so today's post will have several days' activities on it.

Simple Circles Table Runner Sew and Tell

The Simple Circles Table Runner is one of those projects that is more difficult than it looks, but once you finish it you feel proud of yourself.  For me, the most difficult part was sewing the circles, both the individual circles and also the stitching up of the final pattern.  I did get better with practice, though, and now that I've sewn circles, I feel more confident about sewing curves in any future projects.  I just need to remember what is key to sewing circles:  Pivot!  Pivot!!  PIVOT!!!

Simple Circles Table Runner, Day 8

Day 8?  What happened to getting the project done in one week?  Yes, yes, I know, my deadline slipped.  I feel like I let myself down, but the truth is, things came up and I just couldn't get to it.  But I'm almost finished and I do actually have another project started for Week 3.

Simple Circles Table Runner, Day 7

Very often with sewing projects, you spend more time measuring, cutting, pressing, pinning, clipping, turning, etc., than you do sewing.  This project was no different.  If I were to calculate how much time I spent pressing the muslin, tracing the patterns, trimming the circles, layering the fabric, notching the edges, turning the circles inside out and arranging the circles, I'd find that I had spent less than 10% sitting at the sewing machine.  It's all part of the process, but sometimes I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything unless I'm actually running the machine.

Simple Circles Table Runner, Day 6

I had some leftover batting from a few projects I had finished before.  Some of the batting was fusible and some of it was not, but it didn't really matter with this project because the batting would be next to the muslin, with the fabric pieces on top of the muslin, so I just used pieces of batting that would fit as many circles as possible.  I was able to fit all six of the smallest circles onto one of the larger pieces of fusible batting.

Simple Circles Table Runner, Day 3

A layer cake is a set of fabric, normally of a fabric collection, with each fabric "layer" pre-cut to 10"x10".  Layer cakes from Moda usually have 42 swatches, although other fabric manufacturers' 10" pre-cuts may have a different quantity.  A fat eighth is a one-eighth yard of fabric that is cut to measure about 9"x22", instead of 4.5"x42".

Simple Circles Table Runner, Day 2

 

Today I did a lot of prep work for the table runner.  First, I researched how to sew curves.  You would think that I would be able to find information on that in at least one of the dozens of sewing books that I have, but I didn't find anything there.  Luckily I came across a video on ProfessorPincushion.com on how to work with curves.  They make it look so easy, and I'm feeling less anxious about sewing curves now.  I have a feeling I'll be going to that website again in the future.

Week 2: Simple Circles Table Runner

Simple Circles Table Runner from Moda Bake Shop
Image and design © Natalia Bonner

For Week 2 of my 52 Weeks, I went back and forth between working on a patchwork belt, an easy project, but one that wouldn't use much fabric, or a project that might be a little more challenging to me, but would make a bigger dent on my stash.  I opted for the latter.

Lap Duvet Sew and Tell

For my "Sew and Tell" posts I'll basically review how my project went for that week.  I'll talk about what worked, what things I'd change, things I'd learned, what I liked, etc.

Lap Duvet, Day 7

I'm still getting used to this whole blog thing, so apologies for not posting as it happens.

So the quilting phase started out being aggravating for me.  Because my duvet didn't end up being 58"x42", when I started out pinning every 7", my last row ended up being close to 5".  This drove me crazy so I started all over again and readjusted my measurements so that each row was the same height.

Lap Duvet, Day 4

I started working on the Lap Duvet on Saturday afternoon.  As I mentioned, I chose two fabrics from the Grow With Me collection.  In addition to reducing my stash, I am also trying to cut back on my spending, so even though the project called for throw-sized (60"x60") wool batting, I used some crib-sized (45"x60") "poly-down" batting that I already had.  I have a few larger-sized packages of batting, but I figured that the crib-sized batting would work perfectly, since the finished duvet would measure 58"x42".  More on this later...

Week 1: Lap Duvet

Photo courtesy of The Purl Bee

Hooray, it's Week 1 of 52 weeks of sewing, knitting, etc!  I'm going with a supposedly quick and easy project, the Lap Duvet from The Purl Bee.  According to the website, this project should take about 2 1/2 hours to make.  I'm so excited to make this!  They look so cozy and fluffy.